282 
The Council desire to express their grateful appreciation of the ser- 
vices rendered by Mr. Wilde in the preparation of this important work. 
That gentleman has devoted, and continues to devote, a large portion of 
his valuable time and labour to the task. He has, moreover, since the 
period of our last Report, made a tour through Scandinavia and Nor- 
thern Germany, for the express purpose of obtaining information respect- 
ing the great collections of national antiquities which have been formed 
in those countries. He believes that the knowledge he has thus ac- 
quired will assist materially in the preparation of the forthcoming por- 
tion of the Catalogue; and he is also of opinion that the relations which 
he has succeeded in establishing between the Directors of Foreign Mu- 
seums and this Academy will be found most useful in promoting friendly 
communications, and leading to the interchange of drawings, models, 
and typical specimens of antiquities. é 
The Royal Dublin Society have deposited in the Museum of the Aca- 
demy such articles in their collection as were illustrative of Irish his- 
tory and antiquities. We trust that the example of their enlightened 
liberality will have due weight with other public bodies, or individuals, 
who may have in their possession similar objects interesting to the anti- 
quary; and that they will recognise the propriety of depositing all such 
relics in the Museum of this Academy, which would thus become what 
it is our ambition to make it—a complete repository of all the existing 
monuments and memorials of the Hiberno-Celtic race. It is to be ob- ~ 
served that, by intrusting their antiquities to the keeping of the Aca- 
demy, the possessors will in no degree surrender or compromise their 
rights of property. 
We are indebted to Mr. Hardinge and Dr. Reeves for the commence- 
ment of a very useful undertaking, in accordance with a plan proposed 
by the former of those gentlemen. We allude to the Register of Anti- 
quities, which has been drawn up for the period commencing with the 
Ist of January, 1859. It is intended that immediately on the acquisi- 
tion, by gift or purchase, of any article for our Museum, all the particu- 
lars respecting it which it is desirable to place on record shall be at 
once noted down, and afterwards transferred to the Register, in which 
they will be preserved without risk of loss, and will be always accessible 
for purposes of identification and of antiquarian research. A mass of 
authentic materials will also thus be gradually accumulated, which will 
greatly facilitate the continuation of the Catalogue at a future time. 
The Academy are aware that a considerable body of Tidal Observa- 
tions, of great scientific value, was made some time since at various sta- 
tions on the coast of Ireland, the cost being defrayed by the Academy, 
The first Part of these observations was published in Volume XXIII. 
of the Transactions, together with a discussion of them by Professor 
Haughton, in which some highly interesting results were arrived at. 
Dr. Carson has presented to the Council the liberal donation of £50 to- 
wards the publication of the remaining observations; Professor Haughton 
has, at our request, undertaken to edit this Second Part, and it is hoped 
that ere long it will be placed in the hands of the Members. 
